Deadline: ROUND THE YEAR.
Countries/Regions: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Arab States, Americas and the Caribbean, Europe, Central Asia
KEY ISSUE: Women’s economic empowerment, Women’s political empowerment, Human Rights
Description: The Fund for Gender Equality is a grant-making mechanism within U.N. Women. It was launched in 2009 with a generous contribution from the Government of Spain, later joined by donations from the Governments of Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland, the private sector, and individual donors. Today, the Fund constitutes one of the world’s largest grant-making funds advancing the cause of gender equality and women’s empowerment globally.
The Fund for Gender Equality works like a fast-track mechanism within U.N. Women for delivering resources directly to civil society and government partners. It is an innovative, responsive tool capable of combating the structural inequalities that underpin gender inequality, while enabling and amplifying women’s voice and agency.
The Fund provides grants on a competitive basis within the following thematic areas:
Women’s economic empowerment – to increase women’s access to and control over decision-making, land, technology, credit, livelihoods and other means of production and social protection.
Women’s political empowerment – to support women in taking on leadership roles and participating more fully in political processes and in all spheres of public life. Young women leaders are also a particular focus.
The Fund for Gender Equality’s seeks innovative and impact-oriented proposals. The Fund awards grants in eligible countries in Americas and the Caribbean, Africa, the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, and Europe and Central Asia. Organization or agencies are permitted to submit only one grant application per grant cycle. In the last four years, the Fund for Gender Equality has successfully awarded USD $56.5 million to 96 grantee programs in 72 countries. To date, such programs have reached nearly 18 million women.
Type of grant: Program-Specific.
Grant range: $200,000-$1 million USD
Average grant duration: One to Three years
